New degrees, sports highlight future for area colleges

New degree programs at area colleges and universities and new buildings for students are just part of the plans on the horizon for higher education this year.

DEBORAH CIRCELLIEDUCATION WRITER

New degree programs at area colleges and universities and new buildings for students are just part of the plans on the horizon for higher education this year. Sports will also take center stage. Football fans will get into the Hatter spirit as Stetson University brings football back next fall after a more than 50-year absence while Daytona State College starts women's volleyball and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University begins construction on an athletic complex. Embry-Riddle's largest building to date — a new College of Arts and Sciences building — is expected to be completed at the end of next year while Bethune-Cookman University offers weekend and night classes and moves to add two new small campus-type sites under consideration in Deltona and Ormond Beach. Here's a more detailed look at what each of the schools expects for the coming year:

EMBRY-RIDDLE CONSTRUCTION BOOM CONTINUES

On the heels of opening a new welcome center and administration building last fall, construction has already begun on a 140,000-square-foot College of Arts and Sciences building at Embry-Riddle, which will have the largest university-based telescope in Florida. The $39 million building, which should be completed next December and open in January 2014, will be the largest on campus, but not for long as permitting and development begins the next year on a 220,000-square-foot new student center. The center will be one-stop shopping to "enhance the quality of student life," President John Johnson said, with everything from game rooms to possibly a movie theater. Construction will also start on a new athletic complex that will include offices, locker rooms, concession stands, bleachers and a skybox near the women's softball field. A new perimeter road now under construction is expected to be finished in 2013, Johnson said, and completely encircle the campus. Construction will also start in 2013 on a 600-space parking garage south of the College of Arts and Sciences building since parking is "very much in demand with all the growth happening," Johnson said. Engineering will also get a second building for more research labs and offices with construction starting next year. The university also plans to buy a wind tunnel next year, which officials said would be one of the largest in the country, to be used for research by the school and aerospace companies. Embry-Riddle will also officially break ground on its Aerospace Research and Technology Park in February, while discussions are ongoing with aerospace companies, including in Canada, looking to go into the park. New degree programs will also be starting next fall, including the university's third doctorate degree, which will be in aerospace engineering, Johnson said. A fourth doctorate may start in 2014 in human factors, which looks at biological factors at various times, including during space exploration. Also, Embry-Riddle will add next year a master's of science in unmanned aerial vehicles that will deal with the design aspect as opposed to the bachelor's added in 2011 in unmanned aircraft systems that trains the pilots who fly and control the drones. The university will also have a new bachelor degree in commercial space operation next fall. A new minor program will also start on the study of biology and life sciences. "We have a very busy agenda. It's a very exciting time," Johnson said.

BETHUNE-COOKMAN TO ADD MORE LOCATIONS

Bethune-Cookman University may have a new permanent president next year as the board expects to make a decision soon on selecting a search firm. Firms have been interviewed but no timeline has been made on when a new president will be hired. Board chairman John Harrington said the process does not need to be "hurried" since the university has an "outstanding" interim president— Edison Jackson. Jackson replaced Trudie Kibbe Reed, who retired in May after eight years. The university has been moving forward, including looking at adding more small campus sites that would serve about 20 to 30 students. Darryl Frazier, dean of the university's School of Professional Studies, said the university hopes to open a site in Deltona at the end of March or April to be ready for students in the summer and fall semesters in a building leased from the city. Several locations are under consideration. The university has had a similar site in Hastings for more than 20 years and is also looking at establishing sites in Ormond Beach, Sanford and Gainesville. The small sites are more for non-traditional students. The university had multiple extension sites in the past, but they were discontinued. Because of the state of the economy, Frazier said more people are wanting to further their education and enjoy learning in small groups and on the weekends or evenings. Bethune-Cookman also started evening courses last fall on the main campus and is adding weekend courses for the spring semester that starts in January. "We're bringing in people who would not go to class during the day," Frazier said. "In the long-run, it also increases enrollment." The university offers a variety of programs and is looking to add more certifications and bachelor and master degrees, as well, next year. The academic profile of students at the main campus is also changing as the university recruits students with higher grade point averages and test scores than in the past. Jackson said the school wants to be sure it admits "students who have a reasonable chance of succeeding" and graduating. About 37 percent of Bethune-Cookman students who began in the fall of 2005 graduated in six years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Dwaun Warmack, vice president for enrollment management and student development, said recruitment efforts include expanding to new markets in the Midwest and northeast and recruiting not only African-Americans but Caucasians and Hispanics as well to "diversify our population to ensure students have a holistic experience."

STETSON UNIVERSITY

Are you ready for some football? Stetson's "Countdown to Kickoff" on its website is tracking to the minutes and seconds until the first Aug. 31 home game. "It's going to be a big day for us," said Stetson President Wendy Libby. "It's already changed things substantially. We brought in an additional 100 men this past year, which is much faster than our expectations." The cumulative grade point average of the players, who are from 19 states, is more than 3.5, she said. "They are scholars first and athletes second," Libby said. The university overall has also grown in enrollment and has the reserves to continue upgrades to classrooms, improvements to residence halls and funding for faculty development and research. Enrollment since Libby started in July 2009 has grown from about 2,000 to more than 2,500 this fall and is expected to be at 3,000 in 2016. Those numbers reflect an increase in new students and retaining more students than in the past. The university spent the past year revising its values statement, stressing such things as personal growth, global citizenship and social responsibility. One example is the university's consideration of whether to become a smoke-free campus while another group looks at environmental sustainability initiatives. Discussions continue, including developing the values into the curriculum. "It's important that the values become a part of the fabric of who we are," Libby said. "Our students are very conscious about issues around social justice and equality so we want to make sure our students and university responds in a way that changes the world and makes it a better place to be." The university has also added new deans at three of its schools who will work with faculty on strategic plans. To handle the projected increase in enrollment, in November the university announced its purchase of the University Inn in DeLand. Stetson takes over the property next summer and will renovate it before opening with 120 beds in August. Stetson continues operating its theater arts program in the Museum of Florida Art after the demolition of Stover Theatre last year. The university added about $300,000 to $400,000 in upgrades to the theater part of the museum, such as lighting. Stetson is also planning a comprehensive campaign that will include a number of building renovations and expansions campuswide. None will break ground in 2013.

DAYTONA STATE COLLEGE

Daytona State College and its department heads continue to discuss adding more bachelor's degrees to meet students' needs while the Palm Coast campus gears up for construction to start on a new building. One of the proposed bachelor programs continuing to be discussed is nursing. The board of trustees in August approved conducting a feasibility study and a research company has been hired to look at the needs from local hospitals and students. Daytona State President Carol Eaton expects the report "will be ready for the board very early in 2013." University of Central Florida officials have questioned whether demand exists for Daytona State to also offer the bachelor degree. Daytona State is planning next fall to start a new associate of science degree in interactive media production, which will include studies such as photography, journalism, music production and computer design. Women's volleyball, a new sport approved by the board earlier this year, will also begin in August. If approved by the Legislature, the college will move forward with other state colleges to meet Gov. Rick Scott's challenge to create a $10,000 bachelor degree program aimed at making higher education more affordable. Daytona State College proposes an accelerated "Fast-Track Baccalaureate Program'' next fall that would offer high school students a three-year path for any of its bachelor's degrees at a savings of about $3,000 and less than half of what it would cost at a state university. As far as capital projects, a new water chiller plant at the Daytona Beach campus will likely open this summer. The plant will result in savings in electricity for the college. The college will also seek funding from the Legislature in the spring, including $24 million for a multistory classroom/student center on the main Daytona Beach campus. Another $532,678 is needed toward the new Flagler/Palm Coast Campus Classroom Building. Construction will start in the summer after $7.6 million was approved earlier this year and the building will open in August 2014. Planning will also continue on the new scene shop at The News-Journal Center. As far as enrollment, Eaton expects enrollment will remain below the peak that it was several years ago as "students will still be feeling the impact of a less robust economy." The number of students taking college credit courses was down about 9 percent this fall, compared to fall of 2011.